Summary: Are we using our time to advance the cause of Jesus and to enhance our relationship with Him? Is our time well spent?

Sweet Brown is an Oklahoma City resident who was interviewed by local news station KFOR News Channel 4 after evacuating from her apartment building that was set on fire last spring. Her dramatic testimony of the chaotic scene quickly led to massive exposure on YouTube and became viral.

On the morning of April 7th, 2012, a three-alarm fire broke out at an Oklahoma City apartment complex in Oklahoma, leaving one person hospitalized for smoke inhalation and five units damaged. The local station KFOR News Channel 4 was among the first to arrive on the scene and interview one of the displaced residents Sweet Brown. During the interview, she stated that she had woken up to get a “cold pop” when she thought someone was grilling before she realized there was a fire. Brown then proceeded to run out of the apartment without shoes. In describing the heavy presence of smoke from the fire, she uttered “ain’t nobody got time for that!” which became one of the more memorable lines.

This is Sweet Brown and the cause for her popularity:

VIDEO: “Aint Nobody Got Time For That”

If that video made you smile or laugh despite the travesty of the fire, then you know why Sweet Brown has become so many people’s favorite. The video has been viewed more than 12 million times since being uploaded on Apr 9, 2012.

Sweet Brown is so popular in fact, or at least her catchphrase is, that many have been using “ain’t nobody got time for that!” in everyday communications.

We are busy people. It seems no matter what time of the year it is, we always are busy with this or that. Just because we’re busy doesn’t mean we’re being effective for Jesus. Just because we’re busy doesn’t mean we’re getting things done His kingdom. Just because we’re around people all the time doesn’t mean that we’re connecting people to Jesus.

What happens when the “ain’t nobody got time for that” extends to others? Or important things, or work that needs to be done urgently, or causes that are worth fighting for?

We need to be cautious about what we do and what we don’t have time for. Do we have time for Jesus and His calling? Do we have time to share His love with people?

Time is precious; you’ve heard that a million times (if not more). Time can be stolen. Time can be lost. Time can we wasted.

Illustration: How would you like to spend 2 years making phone calls to people who aren’t home? Sound absurd? According to one time management study, that’s how much time the average person spends trying to return calls to people who never seem to be in. Not only that, we spend 6 months waiting for the traffic light to turn green, and another 8 months reading junk mail.

Sure, we have to make the phone calls, and we must wait at the light. But what about the rest of our time? Are we using it to advance the cause of Jesus and to enhance our relationship with Him? Is our time well spent?

Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Bruce Lee is quoted as saying: "If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of."

Illustration: I read an article online this past week that was posted in "USA Today" some years ago about Mike Tyson, which I found to be rather interesting. He said, "My whole life has been wasted. I’ve been a failure." Then he said some other things. He said for instance, "I just want to escape. I’m really embarrassed with myself and my life." Then he said, "I’ll never be happy. I believe I’ll die alone. I’m really lost, but I’m trying to find myself." But the thing that really got a hold of me is where he said, "My whole life has been a waste."

He is expressing what many people in this world are expressing about life and their living of life.

A group of students were asked to write some definitions of life. One student wrote, "Life is a punishment for the crime of being born." Another student wrote, "Life is a disease for which the only cure is death." Then many of us remember a song which had a line that said, "Living is what you do while you are waiting to die."

I fear that this is how many of us see our lives. Have we lost our zeal for life? Are we wasting our time here on earth just simply living and waiting to die?